The car usually uses about 3/4 of a quart every 1000 miles, it has done it since the day I got it except for 2 times. Every time I swap out for a 2.3 HO cover within a month I get a massive leak and it is coming up the cam tower bolt holes. I am scared to tighten them any more, but I am getting rather tired of putting in a quart a week. I dont wanna go back to a 2.4 cover so does any one have ideas on how to fix this problem? It is getting on the exhuast mani and is beginning to smell bad. Thanks

P.S.- Sorry I forgot to list the things I have already tried, rtv on the threads, and also tried teflon tape on the threads. I am currently looking for little rubber washers to fit on the under side of the cover and little rubber o rings to fit underneath the bolts on the top side of the IDI cover.

Is it only leaking out the holes that are for the IDI cover? There shouldnt really be any oil there. You may have some leaking cam housing gaskets.

Are you saying oil is leaking from the 4 bolt holes that bolt the idi cover down? Can oil even come from those holes if theres noting in the bolt holes? I dont have an idi cover since I have the 2.2 coil swap, and I noticed oil leaking not long ago from which Im pretty sure is my rear cam tower which is why I ask.

See my thing is it only does it when i try a different cover than a 2.4 cover, and yes there is oil pooled on top of the holes the bolts thread down into. I just did the cam gaskets back in late Dec, and there was no evidence of a leak before or since there. I hope to be able to try the rubber washer idea soon as the parts store opens.

I havnt had an idi cover for a while now, so your saying its possible for oil to come up out of those 2 bolt holes that hold the idi cover down? I had never even thought of that, its not sealed off from the engine at the bottom of the threads?

I have no idea, all i know is where the oil puddles up at.

2.4_LS_4Door (Dayton86) wrote:See my thing is it only does it when i try a different cover than a 2.4 cover, and yes there is oil pooled on top of the holes the bolts thread down into. I just did the cam gaskets back in late Dec, and there was no evidence of a leak before or since there. I hope to be able to try the rubber washer idea soon as the parts store opens.

obviously there is evidence of leak.... the IDI cover has nothing to do with oil

Oil simply can't go up and around corners (outside of the motor), the cover is not leaking, the bolt holes thread down into the cam carrier and there is oil down in there, I dont even know if the bolts are sealed from the oil, as it may be different for each casting. When I switch between the 2 is the only time I get a leak, and the only difference is the cover and the bolts the cover came with. Not to be shooting ya down,

Well I have a spare head and cam towers sitting here with me, I looked at them together and it would be possible for oil to come up through the bolt holes, but I think it would only be a problem if your cam tower bolts werent torqed properly. The holes are sealed from the head and end in the bottom of the cam tower, but there is an opening in the top part of the cam tower where I could see oil coming up through. Now the question is, has anyone every actualy had problems with this? Like anyone not using an idi cover or something?

As you can see oil is on top of the tower and bolt holes, and on bottom side of IDI cover bolt holes.

What I hope to fix it with.

How it is setup, the o rings are to go around the bolts on the top side of the cover.

We shall see in a few days if it worked.

If you are getting oil in those holes you either have a cracked cam housing or a gasket that is not sealing. There should never be any oil in those holes, they dont even go to any passage or opening that would have oil.

I know it doesn't make any sense, it only does it when not using a 2.4 cover. All 4 IDI bolts have oil on just a part of the threads (top half). O well i am getting tired of constantly working on this car.

You have a most unusual case.
Are you using the 2.3 bolts so that the H.O. IDI cover will fit the 2.4?
I know that I tried to use a H.O. IDI cover on my 2.4 years ago and the bolts that were originally on the 2.4 IDI cover wouldn't fit the other idi cover.
I'm not sure if there's any differences in the bolts that are being used but do some comparisons in the lengths and threads.
I'd even go through the motions of drilling out the H.O. cover to accomodate the 2.4 idi cover bolts.
But, I've not done this myself so may be just talking about nothing on this.
Good luck with the gasket ideas and hope it works.



Misnblu.com
Newbie member since 1999
Thank you Dave and JBO!

The 2.3 bolts, yeah the 2.4 bolts have those little rubber washer things on them and I never have a leak with those. I know 'blu I always come up with the weirdest of issues.

I thought my engine was a freak with its mystery oil leak, but yours having a problem with only the 2.3 cover is odd. I am using 2.4 bolts with a 2.3 cover, hell event the exhaust housing is for a 2.3.

I recently started using a 2.3 IDI cover on my 2.4, but I have not started the car, so I couldn't tell you if mine leaks or not..

I can however, say- that I have found oil on the threads of those 4 bolts that hold the IDI cover down. I also have had oil leak out of that same hole- but not a quart... Maybe a few dribbles last summer.

I know the bolts don't actually hold the cam cover down, but it does apply force to it. I would try tightening the other bolts on the cam cover & see if that helps.. But I think the ultimate problem is probably the gaskets under the cam cover.

Also, on my cover, that particular hole has a ground strap that comes out from under the coil packs... Does anyone elses have the ground strap??

I have also found the oil pressure sender is leaking, that is where the majority of the leak was, going out to fix as soon as it cools down.

Anybody ever seen the sending unit leaking through the weatherpack connector, that is where most of my oil leak was. Can't beleive I missed it.

1st of all....what the hell is that ground wire doing on your cam cover?
2nd.....its not the idi cover or the bolts. yes oil is coming out of those holes , but its because of bad gaskets. the idi cover is not designed to hold oil in the motor.
replace gaskets

The ground strap is for your ignition control module, which is housed in/ on the IDI cover.
On the oil sending unit leaking, just remove it and use about 3 or 4 turns of teflon tape to reseale it.
Good luck.



Misnblu.com
Newbie member since 1999
Thank you Dave and JBO!

If the oil sending unit is leaking at the weatherpack connector its time for a new sending unit, or a pipe plug.

Got new sender ($6) and leak is gone.

Today after driving I popped my hood and noticed oil had rose up to the top of the idi cover bolt holes and was leaking out, then when the car cooled off the oil went back down. Now I know my rear cam tower gasket is bad and I have everything to fix it and other things going in as well, but Im thinking of putting the idi cover and bolts back in since thats where it looks like most of the oil is leaking from. Ill do that and see how bad the oil leak is, I can pull the idi cover while the car is still running